MX Linux: The Ugly Duckling

Three days ago, I decided to test a Linux distro that has become very popular in DistroWatch, MX Linux.

Megatotoro started using it as soon as it came along, carrying the legacy of the extinct, but amazing  Mepis Linux combined with the speed and versatility of AntiX.  Although, back then, this distro was but a faint bleep in the DistroWatch radar, today it has the top 1 spot in the chart, way above Mint and Ubuntu, once rulers of Linux popularity.

What prompted me to try it was an experiment with OBS Studio, which required me to use a 64 bit distro that worked with .deb packages.  I have always used .rpg distros: Mageia, OpenMandriva, PCLinuxOS, and Fedora.  Well, I have Elive 3, but it is 32 bits, so it did not work for me.

I needed to replace one distro, so I chose to erase Fedora.  Anyway, I could always put it back once I finished my OBS Studio experiment, I said to myself.

MX Linux installed very quickly and without any problem.  I had no GRUB2 issues and found myself quite at ease with the DE.  Thanks to my experience with PCLinuxOS, using Synaptic in MX represented no learning curve at all.

So, I carried out my experiment and failed miserably.  However, contrary to what I had originally intended, I had already customized the appearance of the DE and stuffed the system with my favorite programs.  When I saw myself syncing my files and Firefox, I knew that the distro was staying in my laptop.

Now I understand why so many Linux users prefer MX.  Just like in Andersen's story, I had grossly underestimated this distro... until it became a beautiful swan-like OS powering my computer with grace and ease.

It is no coincidence that its code name is Patito Feo.

 

MX Linux saves the day

Last Friday, when I was working in my office, a colleague asked me for help.

She had turned on the new desktop computer (a Windows 10 machine) and, as she didn't have a user, she was barred out.  That was bad for her because she wanted to print urgently.

I don't have a user on that machine, either.  However, Megatotoro had made a bootable pendrive with MX Linux for me, so I plugged it in and started the OS.

Once inside, configuring the printer was a snap since I found the same tool I use in Mageia.  I selected the wrong driver at first, but got the right one on my second attempt.

I printed her documents and she was amazed and thankful.  I was glad my first time with MX Linux went well.

Oh, and her file was an .odt she made with LibreOffice!

What happened to Mepis?

My Linux migration story started in 2009, when I bought a tiny Asus Eee pc netbook pre-installed with Linux, a version of Xandros that I did not like much.

In trying to replace it, I had my first encounter with Xubuntu (no wi-fi support), Debian (minimal shell), and Mandriva, which I installed because it supported wi-fi out of the box.

My brother, Megatotoro, decided to find a Linux distro more to his liking and chose Mepis.

Mepis became the distro of choice for rescue purposes: in live mode, it was perfect to get inside a misbehaving Windows install and retrieve important files.  However, after we abandoned Windows for good, I could see that Mepis could shine with its own light, not just because it was a great rescue tool to have around for those frequent times in which Windows failed.

With Mepis 2011, Warren Woodford, the creator of Mepis, achieved a beautiful polish and rock-solid stability.  I never understood why this distro was not so popular in the DistroWatch ranking.

Then, the development of Mepis stalled and Warren Woodford went silent after a communication on November 5th, 2013.

This happened exactly two years ago.

Mepis is now marked as dormant in DistroWatch.

Of course, the Mepis community has been active all this time.  While some have switched distros, others have stayed.

The fusion of the Mepis and the AntiX communities originated MX Linux.

I still miss Mepis, though.